A La Carte
"Pope nominated for Best Chef"
Wooohoo! Monica Pope, owner and executive chef of Houston’s t’afia restaurant, has been named one of the five nomineees for 2007 Best Chef of the Southwest by the James Beard Foundation. She’s the only nominee from Houston. The winner will be announed at an awards ceremony in New York City on May 7. You go girl!
Haak Vineyards and Winery in Santa Fe, Texas is planning its next wine cruise. The baby of Raymond and Gladys Haak, the winery is just a few miles south of Houston. This will be the third year for the cruise which will probably be in January 2008. Interested? Email Gladys at gladys@haakwine.com for more information and to let her know whether you’d prefer a 4-day or 7-day cruise.
Studio Movie Grill in Copperfield is proud to announce its One Year Anniversary in April. In celebration of its one-year anniversary, the movie grill plans to “give back” to the community with free public events, private charity screenings and discounted children’s programs. SMG is located at 8580 Highway 6 North, 77095. For more information go to SMG
Downtown Bayou Place has an exciting new fine-dining venue. VIN (pronounced like vine) just opened at 530 Texas Avenue, across from the glamorous Wortham Center. The 125-seat restaurant boasts rich, wood-paneled interiors with plush, lipstick red-leather booth seating, a stunning private party room, and the stylish second-level lounge called Mosaic. Call 713-237-9600 for reservations or more information.
Culinary Calendar
"A Pleasant Trip to Pleasant Hill"
Bob and Jeanne Cottle invite you to attend the 10th Anniversary celebration at Pleasant Hill Winery in Brenham on April 14-15. Award-winning wines will be served along with special food pairings created by local caterer Rick Ruiz. There will also be grape juice and ice cream for the kids, plus anniversary cake. Admission is free; food items are $3-$5 and wines are $3-$6/glass. The winery is located at 1441 Salem Road (77833). For more info, call 979-830-8463 or email Texaswines@yahoo.com. Or click on PHW to visit their website.
The grand opening party for the new VIN Houston takes place Saturday, April 14 at 7 p.m. The restaurant is located at 530 Texas Avenue in Bayou Place. They will be offering generous samples from the restaurant’s exciting menu. Donations will benefit Recipe For Success, a local foundation dedicated to combating childhood obesity. Telephone 713-237-9600 for more information.
It’s squash blossom season and Executive Chef Hugo Ortega of Hugo’s is offering a special squash blossom menu in celebration. The “Flor de Calabaza” menu will feature several items all including squash blossoms. In order to keep a steady supply of blossoms, Hugo’s has found special growers in Houston and California that will keep the restaurant well-supplied throughout the season. Hugo’s is located at 1600 Westheimer and its phone number is 713-524-7744.
For more events, check the latest Calendar of Culinary Events from My Table by clicking on Calendar
My Recipe
"Zucchini Shrimp"
Ingredients, serves 2
16 each, 21/25 Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp Kosher Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper
1 each Zucchini, sliced 1/8” thick
½ cup Shrimp Butter
½ cup Sauce Provencale
2 orders Fennel and Onion Gratin
Procedure
Season shrimp with Salt & Pepper. Using a mandoline, slice the zucchini lengthwise, discarding the end pieces. Wrap each shrimp with a long strand of the zucchini. Skewer eight shrimp per order and refrigerate. Season again with salt and pepper before sautéing in shrimp butter. Cook until shrimp is cooked throughout. Remove from pan. Quickly sauté sauce provencale and serve shrimp on top of the tomatoes. Place Fennel & Onion Gratin and Grilled Vegetables on plate.
Shrimp Butter
Ingredients, yields 1 pound butter
1 lb Shrimp Shells
1 lb Butter
Procedure
If you don’t have 1 pound of shrimp shells, use equal parts of shells to butter. Saute shells until orange in color. Add in butter over medium heat. Rough puree shells into melted butter with emulsion blender. DO NOT BOIL BUTTER. Once butter turns an orange color and oil has formed on the top, it is ready (20-30 min). Strain through a chinois and press out all oils and butter.
Sauce Provencale
Ingredients: yields 1 cup
1 cup Roma Tomato, seeded, peeled, diced
1 tbls Basil, chopped
1 tsp Garlic, minced
1 tbls Olive Oil, to sauté
1 tsp Lemon Juice
¼ tsp Kosher Salt
Procedure:
Peel, seed and small dice the tomato. Add basil chiffonade, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and Kosher Salt. Mix well, cover and refrigerate.
Fennel and Onion Gratin
Ingredients: yields 12 servings
4 each Fennel Bulbs, trimmed 1 cup Yellow Onion
1 tsp Garlic, minced 1 tbls Olive Oil, Pure
3 tbls Gruyere Cheese, grated 3 tbls Heavy Cream
1 tbls Kosher Salt 1 tsp Black Pepper
½ cup Parmesan, fine grated 2 tbls Breadcrumbs, Panko
Procedure
Place the Fennel bulb into cold water and bring to a boil. Immediately remove from the water and cool. Cut in ½” and cut into ¼” pieces. Sauté onions until lightly golden over medium heat add garlic, about 10 min. Spray the inside of a casserole dish with bake release and place 1/3 of the onions on the bottom of the pan. Place 1/2 of the Fennel on top of the onions followed by 1/2 of the Gruyere. Lightly pour half of the Heavy Cream over the top. Season with salt and pepper.
Repeat the layering and finish with onions on the top. Mix together the panko and the parmesan and spread it over the top of the mixture. Wrap with foil and place into convection oven for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees, rotating once. Remove foil and return to oven for about 20 more minutes, rotating once. Allow to fully cool before serving.
From the Wine List
"A Taste of This and That"
- Got a wine sweet tooth? Several New York restaurants have begun serving an innovative ice cream product made by Mercer’s Ice Cream. The company offers three wine-flavored ice creams: Ala Port Wine, Peachy White Zinfandel and Red Raspberry Chardonnay, all of which contain 5% alcohol. Ask your grocer to get you some. Will Blue Bell be far behind?
- Winemakers are coming down on both sides of a new federal initiative that might require them to list all of the additives and ingredients in their product as well as nutritional information such as fat and calories. The initiative is designed to protect consumers against potential allergens, but how it will turn out it is anyone’s guess at the moment. In the meantime, note that most red and white table wines have 80-100 calories for a four-ounce serving.
- The antioxidant compounds flavonoids are found in a variety of foods, from apples to dark hocolate, and may significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, a new study found. Researchers found three subclasses of flavonoids were linked to a lower risk of heart disease, blood vessel disease or cardiovascular disease mortality. Flavonoids are also found in most white wines.
- Box wine is becoming increasingly popular with both young drinkers and baby boomers looking to enjoy a single glass in a cool, unpretentious way. Sales volume of three-liter box wine grew 44% last year, compared to a 3% gain in volume of overall table wine, AC Nielsen found.
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Copyright My Table magazine, 2010
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